A/N: So, here I am with the update! I'd like to thank all of you who've read my story, those who have put it on Story Alert, and especially to my first (and only) reviewer, amerie-san! You seriously made my day with your review, so this chapter is dedicated to you! ^^

This chapter WILL be considerably more graphic than the last, but not enough to warrant the M rating yet, but DO EXPECT IT TO HAPPEN. I can only put so much content into a T fic and not get yelled at for it. So, just keep on the watch!

Disclaimer: I do not own Square Enix or the Final Fantasy series. Get off my ass.

Chapter Two

A throaty moan came muffled from behind the piece of duct tape as Lightning groggily attempted to open her eyes. Her lower body ached, presumably from being kicked in the gut multiple times, and she felt like someone hit her with a wrecking ball. Her vision was still blocked by the bag over her head, but it wasn't like she wanted to do anything in that moment; she just wanted to give up.

Multiple voices surrounded her, all of them sounding masculine. She strained herself to try and see if she could pick up any sentences, but to no avail - they must have drugged her again. No wonder she felt so loopy. One of the indistinct voices got closer to her proximity, but of all the things the guy did, all she could comprehend was him jamming his finger into her shoulder. She played along, deciding to tip over to she was laying on her stomach instead of her side; no one needed to know she was awake.

"Sounds… drugs…" were the only words she was able to catch coming from his mouth. Lightning presumed that he thought she was still knocked out, and that's exactly what she wanted them to think.

Her mind soon wandered to the last thing she remembered: "L'Cie scum". A sick feeling twisted in her stomach at the thought of being a l'Cie again, but it was obvious her captors thought she still bore the cursed mark. Hell, there weren't even any traces left of the once growing mark. If there was, Lightning would have long ago tried to scrub it off - all in vain, of course.

Whatever vehicle she was in came to a sudden stop, causing her to fly forward and hit her head hard against a wall. If she wasn't awake before, she sure as hell was now. It took all of the little strength she had not to start crying from the throbbing in her cranium. The pain hurt like a bitch now as it spread across her whole body, not just her abdomen. Strong arms curled around Lightning's weak, limp body as to haul her out of the vehicle. Her boots dragged across the pavement, the men carrying her not even bothering with her comfort in any way possible.

At that moment, Lightning knew she was in hell. And if she didn't, she was assured when her body was crudely thrown into a chair and the bag removed off of her head, blinding her with a scorching light. Her pupils took a few seconds to adjust to the harsh light, but once she could see past it, she caught sight of a man staring her straight in the eyes. The intensity of his glare was one that would make normal people squirm in their seats. Then again, Lightning wasn't a normal person.

The man started off blunt, "Is your name Claire Averia Farron, also known by the alias 'Lightning'?" The coldness of his voice sent a violent rip of shudders up Lightning's spine.

Not responding, she just continued to stare at him. He had very sharp features - his nose, cheekbones, and jaw looked like they could cut something from how they jutted from his thin face. His eyes were a cold gray, with nothing but sadism gleaming from them. Even his posture read sadistic. The only thing moderately "normal" was his black hair, not slicked back like Lightning would have expected, but instead messy and hanging over his forehead loosely.

The man noticed the silence coming from his captor and slid over to her, violently ripping the duct tape from her lips. Lightning cried out in pain, the area around her lips prodding in pain. She could barely open her mouth from all the crusted blood, and of course that was a painful venture as well. She figured if she was going to be in this place a while, she might as well get used to the feeling of pain.

"Answer me, bitch!" He spat, turning angrily on his heel to face her. This man definitely wasn't a kind one. Lightning just gave him a cold, dead stare in response. Her energy was waning and she could feel exhaustion pulling her back under, but she fought it with an iron fist.

"No," she boldly refused, but it didn't come off as well as she anticipated; her voice cracked at the very end of it. The room went dead silent, enough to wear a pin could be heard if it was dropped. One of the man's henchmen whistled low and now everyone was intently watching his moves. He got so close to Lightning's face that she could smell the spearmint coming from his breath.

"No? Did you just refuse me?" Lightning was sure by this point that everyone in the room could hear her heart thudding against her ribcage in a violent fashion, but she kept her smooth exterior thick and strong.

"Yes, I did," she rebuked. One of the other men mumbled something incoherent, but it sounded like "Oh shit" to Lightning. Without another thought, the man punched her hard in the cheek, causing her cough up a large quantity of blood from her mouth. Painful coughs riddled her body as she tried in vain to get the blood out of her throat, but it stayed lodged there. Her head hung limply and she fought her hardest not to succumb to the darkness trying to pull her under. She could taste the coopery blood on her tongue, and could feel it running down her jaw.

Roughly, the man grabbed Lightning's jaw with a surprisingly smooth hand, and forced her to look up at him. He paid no mind to the fact that blood was getting all over his hand.

"Answer my questions, or we kill someone you love. How about… your little sister, Serah?" Lightning's heart stopped in her chest. No, they couldn't possibly have her sister in custody; Snow would have tipped her off. She started to panic though, and licked the blood off her lips so she could speak.

"Fine… I will," she gave in, her normally smooth voice raspy.

The man smiled a smile that made Lightning's stomach turn. "So, my dear, are you Claire Averia Farron, also known by the alias 'Lightning'?"

"Yes."

"Good. Are you or were you at one point a Pulse l'Cie?" There was the dreaded question. Lightning didn't know how to answer that question. If she told him no, he might try and harm Serah, but if she told him yes, she'd be lying through her teeth.

She went with the truth, "I was." The man scratched the non-existent stubble on his chin as he circled around the chair. By the tone of his body language, he seemed contemplative.

"Was… hmm. I guess we'll just have to find out. Boys, take her into the lab - we have some tests to run. You also can do as you please with her until I return." Without another word, the man stalked out of the room, leaving Lightning alone with the ravenous men in the room. She could feel and taste thick bile rising in the back of her throat as the group of five or so men closed in on Lightning. She knew exactly what the man meant when he said "Do as you please with her", and that did not bode with her well at all. She had too much pride to let a bunch of men do whatever they pleased with her, but with her current state of being, she could do nothing more than let them haul her away.

She barely comprehended her back hitting a solid metal table, and didn't even try to put up a fight as multiple men shredded the clothes off of her body, and the last of her pride. Men roughly groped her breasts, bit down on her skin, and touched her in places normally private. Silent tears streaked down her face as she finally gave into her exhaustion. Her vision blurred and her whole body went numb, which was something Lightning was thankful for considering how she was being ripped of her dignity at that very moment. Right before she was pulled under, Lightning noticed a shaggy head of hair standing far away from the table she was pinned down to. She almost couldn't believe her eyes.

"Snow?" And then everything went black.

Cool beads of sweat trailed down his forehead and neck as he rolled off his wife, mentally smacking himself in the head. Why now of all times did he have to have competency issues? Never before had there been problems with him becoming aroused, but there must have been something that was causing him not to be excited.

A light hand touched his shoulder, causing him to sigh. "Snow? Is everything okay, baby?" Gently, he placed his hand on top of hers, but still didn't face her.

"Yeah… I don't know what's up," he mumbled. This was utterly embarrassing for him. He wanted nothing more than to hide his face and never show it in public again. Her hand moved from his shoulder to his torso, her other arm winding around his muscular waist and lazily running her hands over his taut skin.

"We don't have to have sex tonight, Snow. It's not going to be the end of the world."

"But I want to, Serah. It's just kind of embarrassing that I can't get up for my own wife," he interjected, turning to face her. Sudden flashes of the older Farron's face hid hers, making him shut his eyes and rub them quickly. No, he wasn't going to do this again; he wasn't going to pretend it was Lightning he was having sex with instead of Serah. The last time he did it, he almost slipped out her name, and he didn't want to actually do it that time.

Snow's mind must have hated him horribly, though.

His mind was soon invaded by flooding images of the first and only time Lightning and Snow got physically intimate. Sure, they shared other heated moments, but nothing quite like that. Before he knew it, Snow could feel a hard-on coming on, and a sigh of relief exuding from his nose.

"See? I knew I could do it," he joked to Serah, leading one of her hands to his stiff counterpart. He shuddered in response from her smooth skin against his erection, seeing the crystal clear image of Lightning in his mind instead to keep his momentum going. Serah crashed her soft lips against his, tangling their tongues together in a passionate kiss. Sure, Snow was enjoying himself, but he was imaging something far different - and something far more enjoyable to him - than what was happening between him and Serah.

Snow had been sleeping soundly in his tent, not even put off by Sazh's obnoxious snoring in the tent nearby or the music Hope just had to have when he slept. Then again, his tent was a little further away so that he could patrol easier. The sound of someone unzipping his tent, though, made him shoot straight up from his sleep and go on alert.

"Who's there?" His voice was quiet, yet threatening. His shoulders eased when he saw a long, silky leg slide into the tent, followed by a head of messy pink hair. Snow cocked his head quizzically at Lightning as she re-zipped his tent back up and turned to face him. She was biting down on her full bottom lip, dressed only in a small pair of black shorts and the turtleneck she wore under her coat.

"Is something wrong, Light-" Before Snow knew it, Lightning was on her knees and kissing him with fervor. While the notion surprised him, he soon became entranced in her lips and wrapped his strong arms around her bare waist. He was unable to resist the feel of her perfectly smooth skin against his calloused hands, and he could tell she enjoyed it all the same. A breathy moan escaped her lips into his mouth, and immediately Snow could feel himself growing hard. Only Lightning could cause his body to react this way.

In an out-of-character moment, Snow suddenly pulled her small frame off of him and looked at her straight in the eyes. Her sea blue eyes were hazed over, presumably with lust, and her body quivered in the slightest way under his touch.

"What are you doing, Lightning?" He asked, his voice betraying him and cracking at the end. It was hard resisting the pink-haired vixen before him, especially with the extremely noticeable hard-on in his thin cotton sleeping pants.

"I-I need you, Snow," she breathed, leading his hand to the apex of her shorts and forcing him to press down over her core. He audibly groaned when he felt how wet her shorts were,. He thought he was hard before, but now he could feel more blood rushing south of the border.

Not taking another moment to think, Snow flipped Lightning over with ease and pinned her to the ground with his large body. He resumed the heated kiss, letting out a low groan when he felt Lightning's nails graze slowly over his abs. He hurriedly ripped off her turtleneck and shorts, leaving her in lacy black lingerie. Snow smiled a little at the jewelry adorning her belly button. For some reason, he couldn't see her as the type of person to get her belly button pierced. Then again, he also didn't see her as the type of person to make midnight booty calls, but here they were.

It was then that Snow could tell Lightning was really horny, mainly because she was forcing his pants and his boxers off at the same time. He sighed in sweet relief when she succeeded and went on to removed her own underwear. He spent a lot more time, though, and was in a way teasing her.

Lightning was obviously frustrated with his childish antics, at least in her point of view. "God, Snow, just take it off," she grunted, started to remove the lingerie herself. Snow's hands shot out just quick enough to stop her, and gave her a seductive smile.

"Patience, Light," he murmured huskily, slowly removing her bra. Her breasts fell out almost in slow motion, and for the umpteenth time that night, he felt more blood rushing to his ever growing erection.

Teasingly, Snow blew cold air over her breasts, reveling in the sound of her whimper and the sight of her nipples hardening. He took one lightly in his mouth, but only swirling his tongue around it momentarily before moving to the other. He honestly wasn't sure how much longer he could last with Lightning arching her back, and breathing out his name as if he were some sort of god.

Obviously, he decided not long; with one swift motion, he slid her panties from her hips, making sure to graze his hand along her silky smooth skin. Now that she had nothing covering her perfect body, Snow really soaked in how beautiful the woman laying beneath him was. She wasn't a delicate beauty like his fiancé - she was breathtaking. If he could spend every moment of the rest of his life staring at Lightning's beauty, he would.

Snow didn't realize how taken he was with staring at Lightning until he heard a slightly impatient moan, followed with a tasteful grind against his hard-on. He had to bite down hard on bit bottom lip to stop himself from letting out a loud groan. There was no way in hell he could let the others hear his and Lightning's sexcapades; they would never live to see the end of it.

In a flash of light…

Snow popped from his memory when he felt Serah collapse on top of him, leaving him moderately confused. He looked down at his naked body, noticing he no longer was hard, but it was obvious the intended result happened. He cheered to himself on the inside, but he still couldn't shake the memory from his head. He wanted to finish it - to remember how Lightning whimpered his name in ecstasy and how her heat felt around his hard shaft - but alas, if he did, he'd have to go for round two, and Snow just wasn't in the mood.

Slowly, Serah brought her face up to Snow's and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. He kissed her back and hugged her sweaty body against his, letting out a content sigh.

"Thanks, baby," she mumbled quietly.

"You're always welcome," he sighed as he kissed her forehead. Snow started sitting up, causing Serah to removed herself from Snow's muscular frame and scurry around to find her pajamas. He slid out of the bed and pulled a pair of sweats up his long legs, exhaling a long sigh when he recognized them as the same pants from his memory. He really needed to stop doing this to himself. It was overly obvious Lightning didn't return his feelings, and even if she did, she didn't want him anymore. He pretty much fucked up any chance they had when he chose Serah over her. He wasn't proud of his choice, and most days he wished he could've taken it back, but he still loved Serah and couldn't leave her in the dust like that.

His sapphire eyes watched Serah as she wandered out of the room, taking note of her body language. She was still stressed about her sister, and it read in her posture. Snow had his ideas of where Lightning was, but he couldn't come to a conclusion. During their little chat on the phone earlier that day, he had attempted to get the area code, but the signal was suddenly blocked and he lost what information he had retrieved.

Snow stood off his bed, stretching his arms above his head with an obnoxiously loud yawn. He rubbed the back of his neck as he made his way to the door, but the buzzing of his phone on his dresser stopped him in his tracks. He made a bee line to his phone and answered it without even looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this… Snow Villiers?" The voice sounded formal, like a soldier or something similar.

"Yes it is. May I ask who's calling?" Snow asked, his voice cautious. He wasn't sure whether to be worried or not.

"My name is General Samuel Mindra. According to my records, you were the one to contact Lieutenant Lightning Farron. Do you know of her location?" Now Snow was worried. He began pacing around the room in response.

"What do you mean? Isn't she on your base or whatever?" Mindra sighed on the other line. Snow had a sick feeling in his stomach that this wouldn't be good.

"I hate to be the one to break this to you… she went missing, presumably last night. Her housing unit looked as if someone broke in, and maybe even kidnapped her. I was hoping that my preconceived notions were wrong, but it doesn't sound like it…" No, not Lightning. Not her. Snow was silent for what seemed like forever, still trying to find the right words to say. He couldn't just say he was sorry, but he didn't necessarily want to be rash either and thrust himself out there to find her.

But all he knew was Serah could NOT know.

Chalking up all his courage, Snow replied, "Leave it to me, General. I'll find her."

"Farron said you did have a hero complex," Mindra said with a laugh. Despite the tense situation, Snow found himself smiling a little, but it faded when he realized he didn't even know where to start.

"Where are you located? That way I know where to start?"

"Forgive my stupidity. Farron was stationed here in Oerba. Please, come to my office before you embark. I'll tell you what I know, as well as any leads we've come up with. I'll be looking forward to your visit." Snow shut his phone and just stared at it. Lightning was missing, possibly kidnapped. He almost felt as if he was going to get sick.

Quickly, Snow found a large backpack and shoved whatever clothes and supplies he could find in it, preparing for what could possibly be a strenuous journey. Sure, they had an air train that led straight to Oerba, but who knew where Lightning was being held? She could have been on the other side of Pulse for all he knew.

Snow paused his packing when he came across a photo of the Farron sisters on Snow and Serah's wedding day. He knew how hard it was for Lightning to come to their wedding, but she put up her best façade for Serah. The sisters had their arms around each others shoulder, Serah with a large smile on her face and Lightning with a more humble one. Snow smiled slightly at the photo and shoved it in his pocket before flying out of the room, bag in tow.

It was when he saw Serah standing in the kitchen that he face palmed - what was he going to tell Serah?

Luckily, he was able to come up with an excuse rather quickly.

"Babe, I have to leave for a while for work. They just called and they need me to do some weird assignment on Pulse and I'm not sure how long it'll take me," he said as he walked up behind her, smoothly wrapping his arms around her tiny waist. Serah set down her coffee and turned in Snow's arms, looking straight into his eyes.

"I really hate your job sometimes," she admitted with a giggle. He smiled and laughed himself. Ever since they all awoke from their crystal stasis, Snow still worked with NORA, but he found a solid job with an actual company whose work was to answer the calls of villages on Pulse if they had any wild animal problems, which most eventually did.

"It pays the bills. I'll be sure to text you, okay?" He offered, giving her a toothy grin. She smiled back and pecked him quickly on the lips.

"You better. I know how you are." Snow jokingly stuck his tongue out at her and exited the kitchen, moving straight to the garage. He opened the door, revealing the setting sun over the vast city of Palumpolem. He wasn't exactly sure why they moved from their beach getaway in Bohdum, but he did like the big city feel of Palumpolem.

Snow hopped on his hover bike, which he fondly liked to call "The Beast", and only so much as revved the engine before he saw a mass of silver hair in front of him - Hope.

"Heya Snow, where ya off to?" Over the past two years, Hope finally went through puberty and was still growing. He now stood at a healthy 6'1, but his frame was more sinewy than it was when he was fifteen. His hair was still the same unnatural silver, but now it was shorter, almost mimicking that of his father's.

Snow drove up to Hope, and placed one large paw on his shoulder. "Work business, bud."

"On Pulse? Can I come?" Hope had yet to lose his giddiness, which was something that made Snow chuckle every time. When the older man shook his hand, the silver-haired boy could barely hide his disappointment.

"This is a solo mission, Hope. Strictly classified," he said, giving him a quick wink. "I better be off before my boss yells at me. Catch ya later!" Snow revved his engine once again and peeled out of his driveway, not even noticing when the picture of Lightning and Serah flew out of his pocket.

Hope eyed the object that flew out of Snow's pocket, picking it up and examining the picture. He looked up at the dust trail Snow left behind and back down at the picture, smiling sadly at the picture of the Farron sisters. He recognized it as a picture from Snow and Serah's wedding, which he attended of course. That was also the day when Lightning left without any sort of good-bye to anybody. It was then that Hope knew what Snow was going after - the woman they both loved: Lightning.

But, neither of them knew that at that very moment, Lightning was fighting for more than her life - she was fighting for a reason to live.

As promised, I threw in Snow's PoV, as well as some sexy time. Don't fret either - the tent scene WILL be finished! :D Also, if you want a reference to the sexy lingerie Lightning adorned during that scene, go to Deviant Art and look up "Lightning underwear".

And, of course, PLEASE REVIEW! They seriously make my day when I see that someone has put their time and effort into reading my fic, AND time to review it! So, review! Even a simple, "Awesome, keep updating" would make me happy. ^^

Also, I will be giving a sneak peak at the next chapter at the end of each chapter to give you something to anticipate. So, here's the chapter three sneak! (Sneaks will always be in italics).

"Jeez, sis, don't have to be Queen Bitch to me." The figure appeared from the shadows, revealing a tall, burly body. His presence was overwhelming to Lightning, especially the carefree look in his sapphire eyes, and the crooked grin on his face. He even still had the same ridiculous stubble growing everywhere on his chin.

She must have been dreaming.

"You're not real," she mumbled, mainly to herself. There was no way in hell that he was actually real. She would have heard him walk in the door, and the last time she saw him, he would have stopped her from being rudely violated.

Hope you enjoyed! Remember, I love reviews. :3

-Mel